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Pure Farming 2018 Game preview

Game preview 25 August 2016, 15:07

author: ElMundo

Pure Farming 17: The Simulator hands-on – farm goes global

We are witnessing a competition virtual farming hasn’t seen in years – and typically perhaps, the freshman is the most ambitious one in the group. Meet Pure Farming 17: The Simulator.

This article was written prior to the game's release.

This text was based on the PC version.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PURE FARMING 17: THE SIMULATOR?
  • 4 large maps located in various parts of the world, featuring unique regional crops;
  • More than 70 licensed machines that can be repaired and improved;
  • A number of various sources of income, e.g. wind energy or greenhouses;
  • Character progression system;
  • Three game modes as well as multiplayer module.

This year, we've got some hot competition brewing on the field of virtual farming – who would have thought that there will be so many contenders to fight for the throne of the farm simulator king? While many of the competitors were to be expected, the announcement of Pure Farming 17: The Simulator has met with considerable surprise from the community. The team at Techland apparently would like to snatch a piece of the sizable agricultural pie for themselves, but do they have something to justify their claim? It seems they do!

A comprehensive approach to farming

While Pure Farming 17: The Simulator is promoted by the said Polish developer and publisher, the game's actual creator is the independent studio Ice Flames, albeit with Techland's support. And how do the devs plan to conquer the hearts of digital farming enthusiasts? For starters, they promise to try their best at reproducing the full spectrum of experiences associated with running a farm – and although it may sound like a hackneyed slogan, it must be admitted that the game appears to be a very comprehensive title that truly tries to show the virtual farm life on many different levels.

Don’t forget about proper watering! - 2016-08-25
Don’t forget about proper watering!

It looks as if we will really have nothing to complain about, at least when it comes to the activities to be featured in this particular farming sim – the usual sowing and harvesting are in fact only the beginning of what we will see in the game. Of course, at the very beginning of the game this type of agricultural activity is the mainstay of fun, but in time the player will gain access to many other options along with the development of their farm. That's because we can emphasize various aspects of the business at any time: invest in cattle or poultry, invest in greenhouses that allow for a year-round profit, lay out orchards or try our hand in the energy sector, putting up power-generating windmills on our fields. We don't really have to spend all of our virtual farm life chained to a combine harvester or a tractor – we might as well choose other, no less profitable sides of agricultural business.

Farming Dream comes true. - 2016-08-25
Farming Dream comes true.

Interestingly, the game will also feature a character progression system, allowing us to gain experience points and achieve subsequent in-game milestones, which will affect the efficiency of our work in certain segments. This of course is reflected in the increased volume of harvested crops, and thus – regularly increasing earnings, which can be spent on various investments.

Lots of goodies in the machinery park!

And what can we buy with the money we've earned? Farming equipment and machines, obviously, which is something this production has a plenty. Obviously, Pure Farming 17: The Simulator wouldn't stand to be left in the dust by its competitors when it comes to a set of licensed machines – in the game we will find more than 70 various types of them, and our fields will host equipment from such renowned brands as McCormick, DAF, Landini, or Akpil, and that's just the the top four positions on the list.

The sun is merciless… but that’s what the olives like! - 2016-08-25
The sun is merciless… but that’s what the olives like!

The acquisition of a new machine begins, however, with a series of expenses associated with their operation – in the game we will be the ones responsible for their maintenance and preparation for work. We will have to replace the machine's components, tighten screws or change tires – all of this work needs to be done by us, although there is always the option to rent a mechanic who will do it for us.

Paying attention to the technical condition of our equipment is extremely important for a very simple reason – the worse the equipment we have to work with, the less crops we gather. The effectiveness of our agricultural activities is affected not only by the proper maintenance of our machinery park – whether our elevators will be full of grain also depends on the proper choice of soil or the spraying we use to protect the plants. You also cannot forget about dynamic weather conditions, about which, unfortunately, we can't really do anything – what's more, the game can feature long periods of rain as well as droughts that can last several weeks, after which there will be very little usable things left of our would-be crops.

It’s not the plowing, it’s who you’re plowing with

The game will feature three single player game modes. The first one is the classic sandbox, in which, using the cash received in the beginning, we simply have to develop our farm as best as we can, without any time limit and doing what we please. There will also be a challenge mode – at the very beginning of the game there will be about twenty challenges available, and the player will be given one hour to complete each of them. However, these tasks won't be too complicated – we will have to do things like milking a certain volume of milk from our cows, collecting a predefined number of tonnes of potatoes before the coming of drought, or produce a given amount of green energy. The developers promise that subsequent challenges will appear in the game in regular intervals after the release, which is undoubtedly good news.

Big machninery never disappoints. - 2016-08-25
Big machninery never disappoints.

What appears to be the most interesting feature, however, is the campaign module – it enables us to become a young farmer from Montana, USA, who is just starting his career in the world of agriculture. In addition to standard quests aimed at introducing us to the game and the subject we are dealing with, as well as the constant development of our farm, there will also be random situations requiring us to assist a neighbor farmer or transport goods from point A to point B. It needs to be said, though, that the option of expanding our business even outside the United States appears to be very promising. The creators will allow us to emigrate to one of the three states located in very different parts of the world, and once we’re there we will be able to grow crops specific to the region. And so in Italy our fields will be ripe with olives and grapes, in Japan we will be growing blooming cherries and rice, Colombian fallows in turn will soon transform into rich areas full of coffee beans and industrial hemp (I know what you're probably thinking right now, but no, no crime lord scenario here). The creators will also offer a set of machines suitable for handling each of these crops, which will greatly help us manage such a wide range of agricultural activities. Fortunately, all those who would like to travel to the Mediterranean or have a taste of self-made South American coffee will be given the option to play on extra maps also in the sandbox mode – in total, the game will feature four sites located in different parts of the world.

Now that my farming is done, it’s time high time to sell it. - 2016-08-25
Now that my farming is done, it’s time high time to sell it.

The creators are also actively thinking about multiplayer gameplay – for this purpose, the game will include a cooperative mode for up to four players, who will work together to develop a single farm. The devs are also considering a competitive module, in which two duos of players will face each other, developing their farms and competing for a common objective. For now, however, we lack any specifics on this idea.

During our visit to Techland's booth we also had the opportunity to play the early version of Pure Farming 17: The Simulator. What immediately strikes the eye are the pretty big areas that were assigned for our activities – the maps appear to be very large and filled with many buildings and fields. What's more, there are some places that are definitely worth commuting, using a pickup provided in the game to save the time. Not surprisingly, technical polishing-wise the production is still far from ideal – the rickety character animations stand out particularly, 3D models of vehicles and elements of the environment also need some work. During the short session we were able to complete just a few simple tasks that we know from other similar productions – we did some plowing, watered some fruit trees, and in the end we had to form a few bales of straw – these are some basic agricultural activities, which means there's still some time left before we will be able to taste some tasks that would be new to the genre. The driving model, though, needs to be praised – individual machines have varying center of gravity, thus leading tractor and combine harvest to handle like completely different vehicles, as it should be. Of course, during the game, we have also encountered all kinds of bugs and graphic shortcomings, but it's understandable – we are still a good several months away from the official release.

Silage is almoooost ready. - 2016-08-25
Silage is almoooost ready.

The team responsible for Pure Farming 17: The Simulator definitely knows how to keep up with the spirit of times – all indications are that the game will feature... drones. For now, however, developers are working hard trying to come up with a rational application for such equipment, but I think it won’t be very difficult – in the end there's a lot of things to be done on a virtual farm.

Looking at the broad spectrum of possibilities offered by Pure Farming 17: The Simulator one has to admit that we can expect a title that can seriously stir up the rankings of agricultural games. The developers are preparing a lot of interesting solutions when it comes to soil cultivation or equipment maintenance. What's more, there will be no shortage of large maps, featuring unprecedented, even among competing productions, plants and seedlings. A multitude of game modes should in turn guarantee us if not dozens, then hundreds of hours of fun with this simulator. All that is left is to wonder whether all of these boisterous words will find confirmation in reality – to find out, however, we will have to wait until the beginning of 2017.

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